Vibrating Signs
by Jade Opal
Summary: Besides Duke & Ripcord being on Alpha team, there's a 5th member that is deaf. But, she's holding something back from everyone...Set during the movie & a little afterwards. Snake EyesOC. Some cursing, but it's muted. Please R R. First G.I. Joe fanfic.
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I don't know _GI Joe_, since that's the works of Hasbros. I only own Nixx/Chloe, Brett, and their mom. My first Joe fic, so let me know when you're finished reading this chapter. Also, signing will be in **Bold** and writing will be in **_italics_**. ENJOY!**

**(Part 1: Nighttime...Summer 2009)**

The streets were deserted, save for the occasional lighting from the passing cars to illuminate the blood red brick walls of the narrow alley. Above the alley sat a young girl of 18 summers, her jean clad legs swinging back and forth from the ledge of the fire escape. Her short hair was spiked up, the colors in her hair made it look darker; her ears were adorned with silver piercings that shone from underneath the dark whispers of her hair. Her slender, delicate fingers were dressed with rings of stone, silver, and black bands. Her zip-up hoodie blending in with the onyx-slate sky, it helps the girl merge with the shadows.

Faint murmurs of an argument can be heard in the background, but the girl never really hears it at her current hideaway, since she really wasn't able to hear anything at all. Since she was born, the girl was deaf of noise and the beautiful notes of music. However, she was able to feel the vibrations of sound at her fingertips and bare toes. This alone made the girl stronger than what others might depict of her. Then, a light shines from behind the girl and a boy around her age steps out to the fire escape to join the young girl. He taps her leg, gaining her attention from her daydream.

He signs to her, **They're at it again…you want to get away for a while, Chloe?**

She nods her head and both teenagers head down the ladder to escape the fighting of their mom and her soon-to-be boyfriend. As the two of them walk down the street to their favorite spot, Chloe's brother signed to her along the way.

**I swear, Mom's always getting hurt by this guy and it's really bugging the hell out of me…you know what I mean, Chloe? She could do so MUCH better with guys…**

Chloe could only nod her head in agreement. Once the twins got a coffee shop, they went in and waited to order their drinks. When it was their turn, the barista smiled at seeing her usual customers.

**Hi Chloe…your usual?** The barista signed to the girl, who nodded. "And what about you, Brett? Same as always?"

"You know me too well…" Brett replied with one of his killer smiles.

Five minutes later, both Brett and Chloe were sitting in their usual spots near the window, which was facing the shopping area and the main street of the town. Both siblings were laughing off at whatever tension there was earlier that night. They were soon joined by their mother, who plopped down onto the seat with a sigh and scorn upon her brow.

"Kids…do NOT fall in love with a person that is very, very manipulative and very snobbish," the older woman said to her kids as she took a sip of her drink. **That goes for you too, my dear…never give your heart to a worthless man. You are beautiful to me—never let anyone tell you otherwise.**

**I won't, Mom…you taught us well, so I'll benefit from your teachings…and you know that I know better than to let anyone pull me down,** Chloe signed back to her mother with a smile on her face.

But that was the last thing Chloe ever told her mother before the coffee shop was held hostage to three armed robbers. Everything was going so fast for Chloe to comprehend that she wasn't really sure what had happened until she woke up to find herself in a hospital room. The nurse, who was checking on her IV, smiled sadly as she asked if Chloe was ok.

Chloe tilted her head to the side and made a confusing face. The nurse then took out a pad and a pen and wrote down her question before giving the pad to the young teen. Chloe then shook her head and signed to the nurse about what had happened. Just as the nurse understood that Chloe was deaf, a police officer came in and spoke to the nurse. The nurse told the police officer that Chloe was deaf and could sign. Luckily, the police officer signed to Chloe on what had happened at the coffee shop.

Chloe, upon hearing what had happened to her mother and brother, started to break down in tears. Chloe was the only survivor of what had happened and she was all alone.

* * *

**A/N**: An inside look into Nixx's past. Next chapter coincedes with the movie from that point out. Don't forget to R+R. -JO-


	2. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I don't know _GI Joe_, since that's the works of Hasbros. I only own Codex/Chloe,. My first Joe fic, so let me know when you're finished reading this chapter. Also, signing will be in **Bold** and writing will be in **_italics_**. ENJOY!**

**_(Ten years later… Daytime)_**

"For nearly four centuries, my ancestors have been the greatest creators of weaponry in the world. But perhaps in this century, I'll outdo them all," James McCullen said in front of his audience.

Off to the side sat General Clay "Hawk" Abernathy and "Cover Girl", two of the higher operatives in the GI Joe program. Also with them was another woman, donning all black military attire and a medium short hairdo somewhat tied back from her face. Her once sparkling brown eyes were now adorned with a green hazel coloring and a glint of somberness now appeared in her eyes. She had her eyes narrowed in order to read McCullen's lips, but for a seasoned lip reader, it was hard for the woman to catch what he was saying in a world where the deaf wasn't as equal as a hearing person. Cover Girl saw this and she wrote down what was being said.

**Thank you, CG…I never would have known what he was saying…** the woman signed to her superior officer.

_Nothing to worry about, Nixx. We'll try and make it easier for you to detect anything out of the norm with this guy_, Cover Girl wrote on the electronic pad she had in her hands.

**Oh, I sense something from McCullen, all right…and it isn't looking too good for him either…**

Cover Girl nodded her head as the three listened onto the presentation. Nixx focused on reading McCullen throughout the rest of the presentation, her mind on hoe the general was doing with all of this. Eight hours later saw the trio back at the Pit. General Hawk pulled Nixx to the side once the three got near to Hawk's office.

"Has Breaker given you something to help with your lip reading?" Hawk asked in a way Nixx was able to read his lips.

Pulling out a small PDA, Nixx typed out her response.

_He's been working on it as of late, but it's still in need of tweaking before it's really ready for testing…I could ask him about it now and see if it's ready._

"Please do…I understand that it's getting harder for you to pick it up with some of the newer recruits. You're one of the best we have here, Nixx…" Hawk said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'd hate to see you get left behind on your work because of this."

Nixx nodded her head before she went in search of Breaker. Once she found him, the top technician handed her the device Hawk was talking about.

"It should be no problems with it now, Nixx…try it out," Breaker said as Nixx fitted the device onto her ears.

The device, to the untrained eye, looked like a pair of wireless headphones that wrapped behind Nixx's head. Once it was set into place, Nixx pushed on a little button and the device was turned on, allowing Nixx's contacts to rotate a little…kind of like Geordi La Forge from Star Trek: Next Generation, which was kinda cool in Breaker's opinion.

"Well…does it work?" Breaker asked after letting Nixx play around with it.

Nixx nodded her head, telling Breaker that it was working just fine.

"Can you understand what I'm saying?"

Another nod from Nixx.

"Wonderful! It's working great then…"

Nixx just smiled briefly at the success of the device. She knew that this would help her greatlywhen she was asked to discover anything a person would be hiding from this point forward.

* * *

Later that night, Nixx was in the middle of meditating in the rec room when the rest of Alpha team walked in. Heavy Duty, Scarlet, Breaker, and Snake Eyes all were glad to have time off in between missions. Heavy Duty and Breaker went to the video games while Scarlett went on the treadmill. Snake Eyes, however, sat across from Nixx and went into a similar position as the young woman. Nixx's eyes were closed and her breathing stable, but she had the corner of her mouth in a slight smirk.

**I felt you guys coming before you set foot in here**, Nixx signed without opening her eyes.

Snake Eyes signed back on Nixx's knee, **Yeah…so Breaker said that the device works now so that you can read lips better.**

With that comment did Nixx's eyes open. Her contacts were out, so her natural brown eye color was staring back at Snake Eyes' visor. Nixx nodded her head in response.

**I would prefer that you kept signing with me…I don't want to lose practice because I can read lips better now.**

**And you'll never be out of practice with me, Nixx. I know better than to leave you struggling to keep up with both signing AND reading lips**, Snake Eyes signed back.

Nixx smiled at the comment. Ever since she entered GI Joe, Snake Eyes was the only one that ever signed with her. When Nixx first was introduced to the team, they thought that they would hve to rely on Snake Eyes, but learned that she was able to read lips; just not as fluent as the silent ninja. Then, Hawk walked into the Rec Room, causing all in the room to stand at attention.

"At ease…we got Intel of the nanomite warheads about to be taken en route to its buyer. Need you guys out there and make sure it doesn't get into the wrong hands…" Hawk said before the team deployed for its mission.

* * *

**A/N**: And now, we're introduced to the team. Next chapter is when Duke and Ripcord will be introduced. Don't forget to R+R. -JO-


	3. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I don't know _GI Joe_, since that's the works of Hasbros. I only own Nixx/Chloe. My first Joe fic, so let me know when you're finished reading this chapter. Also, signing will be in **Bold** and writing will be in **_italics_**. ENJOY!**

**(Part 2: Nighttime, somewhere in Khanistan)**

The battle was about to get ugly when Snake Eyes and Nixx jumped from the plane and took out the small band of Neo-Vipers. Nixx was able to take out more before her eyes stopped at the Baroness.

'Ana…?' Nixx asked in her mind at the sight of the woman.

As quick as that thought came into her mind, the NATO CO was after the Baroness. Nixx ran after them and caught up with the Baroness and got kicked in the face as a result. After a split second, the Baroness was gone and Nixx was left with the NATO CO and the warheads. Before the NATO CO could react, she swung her gun at him.

"Whoa, whoa! I should be asking who you work for…" the CO said before the rest of Alpha team dropped into the area.

In the next few minutes, Nixx watched as the scene unfolded before her eyes. Once Hawk was done talking, Nixx walked right up to the NATO CO and narrowed her eyes a bit. In a heartbeat, she punched him in the arm.

"OWWWW! What the hell?!"

**You don't write, you don't call! What the f***, Duke?!?!?! You're as bad as Ripcord here**, Nixx signed to Duke. **And I thought working with you two would have meant that we would keep up like we did in _SHANGHAI_**.

It took both NATO men a few seconds after Nixx signed to realize who she was.

"Chloe?! You're with these guys????" Ripcord shouted as he scooped up his old friend in his arms. "Man, you don't write either…what happened to you?"

Scarlett and Breaker both saw Nixx trying to break from the hug when Ripcord released her. Nixx took in deep breaths before she signed something to Ripcord.

**Your hugs haven't changed, Rip…**

"Yeah well…nothing I can't do about it. You still trying to read lips or did you get to learn finally?"

**Oh, I can read lips a lot quicker nowadays…can't say the same about my hearing…** Nixx signed as the team went to the transport, heading back to the Pit.

* * *

The team stepped out of the transport as Hawk greeted then back from the mission. Nixx was pretty quiet on the way down to the Ops Room, just watching the other Joes training and whatnot. Snake Eyes saw this and signed if Nixx was ok, which she nodded her head in response. Snake Eyes had become a guardian for Nixx, even a mentor; and the young woman was grateful for the silent companionship, but even Nixx had a feeling of Snake Eyes being more than a guardian to her.

Later that week, Nixx was getting ready for Duke and Ripcord. Snake Eyes and Scarlett already tested them, so it was left up to Nixx to assess their psychological evaluations. Both men were currently waiting for her in the Rec Room after she gathered the paperwork necessary for the psych eval.

**Ok, so I have the honors to test you boys on your psych evaluations. I know what you scored already on the other parts of your assessment and I appreciate it if you don't ask what you got…that goes ESPECIALLY for you, Ripcord. Speaking of which, you're up first, Rip,** Nixx signed before Rip followed her to another part of the Rec Room.

"You know that you can speak, right? You had your operation done three years ago and it was a success as far as your hearing goes…" Ripcord whispered as soon as the two of them were at the designated spot.

Nixx sighed before she played with her right earlobe.

"Yeah, I know that Rip…but it's easier for me to read lips and sign…besides, no one on the team knows that I had that operation except for General Hawk. He knew only because he read my files," Nixx replied back, her voice surprisingly showing no sign of inactive use.

"So what's holding you back from speaking to the team?"

Nixx sighed as she looked over at Duke, who was looking right at her. She then focused her attention back at the African-American pilot.

"Because the last time I spoke was at Rex's funeral. Since then, I haven't spoken to anyone. Now, if you're done interrupting, I have to get your psych eval to the general," Nixx said before she went to do her evaluation on Ripcord.

Once it was Duke's turn, he simply held up a hand before he spoke.

"Save your speech…just ask the necessary questions," Duke bluntly stated.

Nixx mouthed out a 'Thank You' to Duke and did the same evaluation on him. Soon, it was over and she went to give her results to General Hawk.

* * *

Later that afternoon, the team was relaxing in the Rec Room; Nixx was in the middle of warming up when Ripcord saw a new scar on her left side of her torso and let out a low whistle.

"Bet that had to hurt…" Ripcord said as Nixx gave him the bird. "Damn girl…no need to get all hostile with me…"

**Go sweet talk to Scarlett…save your methods on someone that falls for it…** Nixx smugly signed as she went into a tense yoga stance.

She didn't need to know what happened after that, for Ripcord's yelp signaled that Duke had hit him for Nixx; this allowed her to smirk slightly. Snake Eyes, who was watching Nixx, fell into rhythm with her before they went into a mock sparring match against one another. The others stopped with what they were doing in order to watch the two go at it. In the end, it was a draw and Nixx received a round of claps for it. After everyone went back to what they were doing, Snake Eyes went to balance himself on his twin katana swords. Nixx mimicked Snake Eyes by doing a hand stand of her own; Snake Eyes smiled a little as he saw Nixx's arms shaking from the effort.

Nixx, after holding the stance for a few minutes, landed back on her feet, rotating her wrists a bit to loosen them up. Snake Eyes righted himself up to inspect her wrists.

**Nothing to worry about, Snake…just a little sore from holding that stance a bit longer than I wanted to. It's nothing to worry about,** Nixx signed, not realizing that she was blushing from the gesture.

Duke saw this and smiled a little bit to himself. The last time he ever saw Nixx get this close to another guy, it was with Rex before he was killed four years ago. Sighing at the memory, he went back to his workout routine before General Hawk walked in.

* * *

**A/N**: Finally got Duke and Ripcord into the storyline. Next one is going to be EXCITING!!!! Don't forget to R+R. -JO-


	4. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I don't know _GI Joe_, since that's the works of Hasbros. I only own Nixx/Chloe. My first Joe fic, so let me know when you're finished reading this chapter. Also, signing will be in **Bold** and writing will be in **_italics_**. ENJOY!**

**_(Part 3: The Pit, Nighttime)_**

Nixx and Snake Eyes were sitting in front of the couch, meditating for what seemed like an hour, when the alarm went off. The whole team got going as Nixx and Snake Eyes grabbed their weapons and headed off to answer the alarm. Both of them got to the landing bay to find Ripcord about to get sliced in half by Storm Shadow's blades. Nixx and Snake Eyes were able to stop that from happening.

"Hello brother," Storm Shadow said to Snake Eyes before the three began to fight with their prized blades.

The battle got really intense up until Snake Eyes got distracted and Storm Shadow landed on the ground from the walkway. Nixx followed Storm Shadow to where he was near a jet pack and was about to get him disarmed when Storm Shadow slashed at her unarmored chest and kicked her ten feet away from him. Nixx was taking in shallow breaths as the lacerations on her chest were deep, but not enough to kill her instantly. The last thing she remembered before blacking out was the Baroness and Storm Shadow soaring up to the external hatch and Snake Eyes at her side.

About three hours later, Nixx regained consciousness to find herself in the medical bay shirtless and her chest was bandaged to where it wasn't too tight for her to breathe or sit up straight. As she sat up, Duke was already at her side.

"Easy now…you took some serious injuries with your fight earlier…" the former NATO captain said as he eased his friend to a more comfortable position. "They were pretty deep lacerations too…"

"Not my first time with injuries this serious…I nearly died from my operation three years ago, remember??? I'm just plain sore from the blunt force of it…" Nixx said.

"You had Snake Eyes worried…what's the deal with you two, anyway?"

Nixx glanced at her old friend, who was looking at her for her response. Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair, revealing the piercings on her right ear as she did so.

"They let you keep your piercings? Thought they might restrict it to only one piercing on each ear…" Duke made light of the current scenario.

"Hawk allowed me to keep five of them…so I choose to stick to two on my left ear and three on my right. To answer your question…Snake was the one that took me under his wing…don't know why, but it was good to know that someone was able to accept me for who I am, not because of the operation or because I was asking for it…to this day, I believe he's taken to making sure that I'm ok and not over-stressing myself or getting hurt. In the end…I think he's taken a liking to me…but, for that, I'm not sure of, Duke.

"Anyway, I noticed that Hawk's pretty much worse than I am…" Nixx said, her face frowning at the thought. "Will he make it?"

"Yeah…just going to be a day or two before he's conscious…in the meanwhile, you fit to walk about?"

"If I get cleared to go, yeah…"

"Which you are, Lieutenant…you're free to go when you're ready," the doctor said as he poked his head into the room.

"Thanks, Doc…"

As she and Duke walked through the hallways to get to the landing bay, Nixx had to come up with how she was going to explain to Snake Eyes about her rash decision to follow Storm Shadow. It came to an abrupt halt when they found said man sitting alone on a stretcher.

"Hey. Looks like we're all seeing ghosts today, huh?" Duke said to Snake Eyes before he walked off, leaving Nixx behind with the silent man.

Nixx could tell that Snake Eyes was remembering his past with Storm Shadow…she already knew that from reading over his files back on her first month as a Joe, but she knew of the pain of remembering. She placed a hand on his forearm, which caused him to snap out of his reverie and look up at her.

**It's not your fault…that I got hurt. I went ahead without thinking what was going to happen with me…I thank you for rescuing me, though…** Nixx signed to Snake Eyes as she gave him a weak smile.

Snake Eyes nodded his head as his hand lightly touched hers in a kind gesture. Nixx's smile got more genuine before she took her hand back, mentally missing the feeling of his touch on her skin.

* * *

On the way to Paris, the team was prepping for the mission on the transport. Codex was listening to her iPod with "Keeps Getting Better" by Christina Aguilera playing. As Nixx listened to her iPod, her teammates looked on. Heavy Duty, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, and Breaker knew of her surgery when Breaker accidentally found her file. They knew not to push for Nixx to speak. In fact, they simply allowed her to keep her past to herself unless she wanted to tell them herself. Snake Eyes just watched her mouth out the lyrics as her eyes were closed. Always the silent observer, Snake Eyes always knew which body language she used in her different moods.

At one point in the trip, Nixx opened her eyes and saw that Snake Eyes was watching her from his seat in the back. She smiled and went over to him.

**Enjoying the trip?** She signed to him.

Snake Eyes niodded his head just as "Say" by John Mayer started to play. Nixx smiled a little; it was very meaningful to her, since it reminded her of Brett. At the thought of her dead twin, Nixx looked down at the floor of the transport and had tears in her eyes.

**I miss my brother…he meant a lot to me besides my mom…you remember Brett, right Snake?** Nixx signed.

Snake Eyes remembered very well of Nixx's twin brother. In fact, he met both twins at the ninja dojo that he was stealing food from where he also met Storm Shadow for the first time. Both Brett and Chloe were there for training, since their mom was hiding from their biological dad and had to leave her twin children in hiding for a couple of years. In the end, after their sensei was killed by Storm Shadow, Brett and Chloe both were sent back to their mother in the States, leaving Snake all alone until Chloe joined GI Joe years later.

**He was very mature for his age…along with mentally being wise too**, Snake Eyes signed.

Nixx nodded her head in agreement.

* * *

**A/N**: Next chapter is in Paris. Don't forget to R+R. -JO-


	5. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I don't know _GI Joe_, since that's the works of Hasbros. I only own Nixx/Chloe. My first Joe fic, so let me know when you're finished reading this chapter. Also, signing will be in **Bold** and writing will be in **_italics_**. ENJOY!**

**_(Part 4: Paris, Daytime)_**

Once the team was in Paris, they went into full alert mode as far as last minute prepping went. Nixxhad her Delta-6 accelerator suit on and her guns fully loaded. She just was waiting for the 'go ahead' signal. Once they reached the lab, it turned out that the Baroness was already done. Snake and Nixx were the first to go after the SUV. They quickly got on the roof of the SUV and hung on.

The SUV was swerving left and right, having Snake Eyes swinging to the left too far and nearly losing grip. Within a few minutes, the SUV was causing accidents in order to get both Snake Eyes and Nixx off the roof. They barely hung onto the roof at the best of their ability. Once Breaker informed the team of the possible blowing up the Eiffel Tower, both Snake and Nixx went into work on stopping the SUV.

While Snake was on the side of the SUV, Nixx was still stuck on the roof. Both Scarlett and Nixx were able to save Snake once…but when Duke hit the SUV with a missile, Nixx nearly fell off.

"Thanks for the heads up…WATCH OUT!!!!" Nixx said as missiles were being fired.

When a pulse cannon was being deployed, Nixx nearly fell off the roof because of the pulse cannon being assembled. Then, out of nowhere, Duke was in front of the SUV and managed to get off without taking Nixx with him. Snake went to shoot out the tires but left in time for the incoming train…but Nixx held on before the SUV flipped over and she fell on her arm, spraining it as she came to a skidding halt. As she got to her feet, Nixx saw Storm Shadow arm a warhead to the launcher. She quickly went after both of them, but stayed with the Baroness as she hooked onto the bottom of the elevator.

Nixx flipped onto the elevator just as the Baroness left it. Nixx ran as fast as she could to catch up to Ana. She got halfway across the glass roof when she stopped to see the warhead hit the Eiffel Tower.

"No…" she gasped as she watched the tower fall.

Seeing the kill switch, Nixx reached Ana in time just as she fired; Nixx narrowly missing it. Ana made it to her transport just as Nixx did. Before she could do anything, Storm Shadow knocked her unconscious.

* * *

**_(Flashback to five years earlier)_**

**_"Welcome to GI Joe…we need to give you a codename, so if you have any ideas, feel free to share them," General Hawk said to a 23-year-old Chloe._**

**_Chloe looked around the Pit in awe: she had never dreamed that she would get this far. She only heard about GI Joe from a family friend, who was a part of the team before he resigned and led a peaceful life with his wife and three kids. After losing her mom and Brett five years earlier, Chloe enlisted in the Army and made it to as far as a Lieutenant before she was offered to join the Joes. Hawk took special liberty to check over her files and saw that Chloe was good with technical support and got her to recruit based on that…along with her military background and other means of personnel files._**

**_"Sir…maybe we can call her 'Codex'…she's good with computers, right?" Breaker suggested as he peeked his head from behind a monitor._**

**_"Nah, why not--" Heavy Duty said._**

Nixx. Her hair's dark as night,** _Snake Eyes signed._****_  
_**

**_"How about that? 'Nixx' good for you?" Hawk asked._**

**_Thinking it over, Chloe nodded her head. From that day forth, she would be known as Nixx to the Joes, especially the Alpha team._**

**_(Flashback to 20 years earlier)_**

**_"Storm Shadow," Sensei scorned at a young Storm Shadow after beating up on a young Snake Eyes._**

**_"He's a thief!" Storm Shadow shouted in Japanese._**

**_"English, Storm Shadow…where are your manners?" Sensei repeated just as Brett walked by, leading his twin sister._**

**_"He's a cur! A weakling!"_**

**_"He doesn't look like one, Storm Shadow…" Brett said._**

Yeah…it looks like he can hold on his own… **_Chloe added with sign language._**

**_"He must let him in and show him the light…now, what can we call you…?" Sensei said to Snake Eyes._**

**_Chloe walked up to Snake Eyes and looked carefully at him. She smiled as a name came to mind. She signed it quickly to Brett, who was watching what she was signing to him._**

**_"She said 'Snake Eyes'…his eyes kind of reminds her of a snake's…plus he was able to defend himself against Storm Shadow, Sensei…" the older twin replied._**

**_"So it's settled…welcome home, Snake Eyes," the sensei said after much consideration of the name choice._**

**_(End of Flashbacks)_**

**

* * *

****A/N**: Next chapter is in the secret base...two more chapters to go and we're done. Don't forget to R+R. -JO-


	6. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I don't know _GI Joe_, since that's the works of Hasbros. I only own Nixx/Chloe. My first Joe fic, so let me know when you're finished reading this chapter. Also, signing will be in **Bold** and writing will be in **_italics_**. ENJOY!**

**_(Part 5: Antarctica, Time Unknown)_**

Waking up to a splitting headache, Nixx realized that her hands were bonded with plastic handcuffs. She saw that Duke was also in the transport as well. Groaning softly, she sat up a little to be at a better sitting position.

"You're awake," Storm Shadow said to Nixx. "It's been a while, Chloe."

"Why didn't you two just kill us?" Duke asked.

"McCullen has something special in mind for you two," The Baroness replied back.

Nixx ignored the rest of the conversation between Ana and Duke and just stared at Storm Shadow. She remembered the day he killed their sensei and how he ran out of the dojo. Since that day, Nixx had been training real hard to find Storm Shadow and turn him in for judgment…but, in the years that had passed since the death of their sensei, Nixx realized that revenge wasn't going to bring sensei back, but bring even more regret.

Once the four made it to Cobra's secret base, Duke and Nixx were pushed along a cavern entrance. Seeing a small chance, Nixx looked at Duke for a split second before she made it for the case and ran…but not before getting a ninja star to her shoulder. She fell down, dropping the case as she fell. Nixx got back to her feet before she was beaten down by the Neo-Vipers.

"Enough!" Baroness said as the Neo-Vipers stopped.

Nixx breathed a little bit heavily as she sat up. Storm Shadow, with the case in his hand, knelt down in front of Nixx.

"And what was your plan? Run 3,000 miles across the ice?" he asked before taking the ninja star out of her shoulder.

'No…but it was close enough to what I did have in mind….' Nixx said in her mind as she was lifted up to her feet and dragged to the elevator. 'I just hope that Breaker got the coordinates...'

* * *

"Take the warheads to the missiles. I want them ready to launch in one hour," McCullen said as the group emerged from the elevator.

As McCullen and Baroness kissed, Nixx had to look away…jut as a headache was forming. She slammed her eyes shut and shook her head.

"If you're done with your romantic welcoming, I'd suggest you remove these cuffs on me, McCullen…they itch to High Heavens…" Nixx said as she reopened her eyes to stare at the Scottish arms dealer.

"It's funny, isn't it? The entire balance of power in the world about to shift, two guys can still have a stare-down over who gets the girl," McCullen said to Duke, completely ignoring Nixx.

Nixx and Duke both head butted McCullen before they were beaten by the guards. Nixx had to hold back any cries of pain as she felt fresh bruises over her injuries from Paris being hit over and over again.

Later on, both of them were dragged to a room where they were strapped down to a chair each. Nixx's migraine started to get worse with each passing second.

"You ok over there, Chlo?" Duke asked.

"A little bit...nanomites are getting to be annoying, that's all."

"Nanomites? Like what was in the warheads?"

Nixx nodded her head.

"I found out about it after I was at home after being released from the hospital. I knew I couldn't remove them, but I developed a counter-measure to override the original programming."

"Original programming?"

"Become one of the Neo-Vipers..."

Nixx wanted to say more, but the mad scientist just entered the room.

"MARS Industries manufactures 70% of all arms on this planet. 70%. Did you know that, Duke? There are two sides to McCullen's operation, the Sword and the Shield. The Sword creates and sells weaponry. The Shield creates defensive technology, like high-tech bunkers, which are supposed to protect one from anything to a nuclear blast to a nanomite warhead. Unfortunately, the bunker in which I took shelter was just a prototype," the mad scientist said.

Nixx narrowed her eyes at the mention of the bunker…she remembered something in the files after Rex's death being that he was supposed to retrieve Intel on something big…but this man…this MAD SCIENTIST…it couldn't be…

"…Rex…?" Nixx asked, her voice cracking a little bit.

Nixx's mind just shut down completely as the nanomites blocked out the pain…but unlocked a flashback…of her operation…

"You…you were the one that did the operation for me three years ago…didn't you???"

"Yes…you remember now, don't you Chloe?"

Tears started to run down her face…all this time, her best friend was the one that injected the nanomites into her, enabling her to hear for the first time in years…but also enabling her to heal from her injuries faster than anyone else along with the setback of the mind-control. But, she'll never tell him that she was able to set up a firewall on that part.

* * *

_(Nixx's POV)_

I feel so much pain…I don't want to give into the nanomites' main programming…have to think…gotta think…wait…why's Ana here? Was she able to override the programming too??? Thank goodness…I thought I was alone…wait, Ana!

"What did you do?!" I could hear Duke cry out as I knelt next to Ana.

I could feel the pain too…but it's nothing compared to what Ana's feeling now…the pain…have to think outside the pain…got to think…have to think…Snake…

There's an explosion and then the pain's dulled a bit…

"Chloe…we have to get going…" Duke said as he got me to my feet.

I follow sluggishly, ending up losing track of Duke and Ana. I slowly make my way back to the elevator. The pain's still there…it's getting stronger by the second…got to find the others…got to find…

Then, I see Snake Eyes a little ahead of me.

"…Snake…!"

He turns around to see me. I smile as I reach out for him, which he catches me easily as I fall into his arms.

"I'm glad that you're…here…Snake…" I say before I succumb to darkness.

_(Normal POV)_

Snake Eyes managed to get to Scarlett and Breaker while dragging an unconscious Nixx too. Once the four were safely in the elevator, Snake Eyes held onto Nixx and slapped her cheek gently.

"Is she…?" Breaker asked.

"I don't think she is…is she?" Scarlett interjected.

"I'm all right…so quit assuming that I'm dead or something, will ya?" Nixx said as she opened her eyes.

"You—you—you speak?!" Breaker said.

"Yes, I do…and I'm assuming that all of you knew at some point…"

With that, Scarlett and Breaker couldn't lie about.

"I thought so…anyway, shouldn't we report in that we got out ok?"

"Right…This is Scarlett, we got out," Scarlett said into her earpiece.

_"This is Duke. We did too,"_ Duke said over the ear piece.

"This is Nixx. Got out as well," Nixx said, using Breaker's earpiece.**

* * *

****A/N**: Next chapter is the last one...kinda like an epilogue. Don't forget to R+R. -JO-


	7. Epilogue

**DISCLAIMER: I don't know _GI Joe_, since that's the works of Hasbros. I only own Nixx/Chloe. My first Joe fic, so let me know when you're finished reading this chapter. Hint, hint: someone will be OOC, but it'll be worth it. Thank you shout-outs to the following for reviewing: Soundwave-82 and Lil Rocker 2kaii9.**** ENJOY!**

**(Epilogue: A week later, daytime. Cypress Hills Cemetery)**

"Hey guys…I'm so sorry for not visiting earlier this year…we had a lot on our plate at Joe. But, I got to have my ability to speak and hear out in the open finally…you have no idea how relieved I am to just tell them that. Ummm…what else to say…" Nixx said as she stood in front of two grave markers in the cemetery: one for her mom, the other for Brett.

Snake Eyes was a little ways behind Nixx, giving her space to talk to her dead relatives. He understood how important they were to her life.

"Oh! How could I forget? I met up with Duke and Ripcord again…they're part of my squad again. Ana's doing real good…hope you guys continue to look out for her as well as the team too…Brett, you remember Snake Eyes, right? Well…he finally asked me out! After eighteen years, he asked me out on our birthday…"

Nixx turned around and smiled at Snake Eyes, who sent her a smile of his own. Turning back to the grave markers, she laid down the flowers she had in her hand.

"See, Mom…I remembered lilies for you this time. Sorry I had gotten roses last time…the store didn't have the lilies because it wasn't "in season"…as if. Well, I better get going then…I love you guys," Nixx said before turning to walk over to Snake Eyes.

* * *

**(One Month Later: The Pit, afternoon)**

Scarlett and Nixx were both getting ready for the outing that the team was taking for the first time since the Cobra incident. Nixx was in the middle of straightening her hair when Scarlett walked into the bathroom in a black mini dress.

"Please tell me that you're not wearing that to where we're going, 'Lett?" Nixx said without looking at her friend.

"Is this not appropriate where we're heading?"

Nixx put down the straighter and turned to face Scarlett.

"We're heading to the most dangerous place in Tokyo…you'd be sold off to sex slave traders if you weren't in Joe…" Codex said bluntly.

" We are?"

"No, silly…we're heading to this club that Snake picked out a while ago…I wonder how everyone else will look…"

Five minutes later, the girls were ready and were now waiting at the Rec Room. Nixx was dressed in a blood red corset top, black leather pants and motorcycle boots, and a pair of fingerless gloves.

"You're sure this is fine?" Scarlett asked as she leaned against the couch.

"For the umpteenth time, it's perfect…I'm pretty sure that Ripcord will have his jaw drop at the sight of you," Nixx said with a soft sigh.

"Damn right on that, Chloe…"

Both girls turn to see Ripcord dressed nicely and his jaw slightly dropped.

"Ha! You owe me a beer, Rip…" Duke said as he came up behind Ripcord and slapped a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You look amazing too, Chloe. Sorry if Ana's not here to admire your handiwork."

"It's ok. The docs need time to remove the nanomites in her head. I'm perfectly fine with that."

Heavy Duty and Breaker then showed up in their casual clothes.

"So…where's Snake? How are we supposed to know where we're going?" Breaker asked once he saw that Snake Eyes wasn't present.

"He told me that he'll meet us there. As to where we're going, I know where it is," Nixx said as she got up from the couch and onto her feet.

"Hot DAMN!!!!!! Chloe, when did you go for the punk scene?" Ripcord exclaimed upon Nixx's outfit.

"What? I like it…you should see her when she goes to one of the anime conventions. She goes ALL out with it," Breaker said.

"Yeah…she dressed up as Lulu one year and she NAILED it down to the tee with the contacts," Heavy Duty added.

"Ohhh, let's not forget when she went as—"

"Ok, boys…why don't we head for the club now before Snake gets worried that we got lost…" Scarlett said, getting the team to the transport to take them to Tokyo. "Besides, I don't think that these guys want to hear how Nixx had to go as a stripper on that one mission..."

* * *

**(Tokyo, Japan. Nighttime.)**

The club was in full capacity once the team got inside the building. They were able to get a table somewhere in the middle of the large room. Scarlett was looking around at the crowded room in awe. Everyone else was wearing similar clothes as Nixx.

"So, where's Snake?" Scarlett had to scream over the blasting music.

"I'll go find him…" Nixx said as she went in search of her silent mentor/comrade.

Sometime after Nixx left to go find Snake, Snake made it to the group. Only Heavy Duty was able to recognize him.

"Hey, Snake…did Nixx send you to let us know that she found you?"

Snake looked at Heavy Duty with a confused look on his face.

"Yeah…she went to go find you just a while ago…didn't you see her?" Breaker asked.

And with that, Snake went back out into the crowd to go find Nixx. He found her in the middle of a confrontation with a drunken, who was trying to make her dance with him. She refused numerous times to dance with him.

"C'mon, baby…one dance isn't going to kill ya…" the drunken said to her as he went to grab at her gloved wrist.

"No, really—my friends are probably wondering where I am…" Nixx said as she was trying to back away from him.

Before the guy could say anything else, Snake Eyes was there and held Nixx in his arms.

"If you have a problem, I suggest you talk to me…" a male voice said, his tone deep with a warning of a potential beating.

Nixx had to strain her ears to hear…there was no way that Snake had just spoken, in what seemed like years, to the drunken guy. However he did it, the guy left without so much of a second glance at the two.

Turning to face Snake, Nixx wasn't expecting Snake to be out of uniform…and looking really good in the clothes he was wearing; his brown hair was slightly spiked and his brown eyes were a comfort compared to the black visor that Nixx was so used to seeing every day. The black button-down shirt was slightly form-fitting; the sleeves were rolled up to reveal toned forearms. A pair of dark denim jeans clad his legs while black shoes adorned his feet. The only thing that wasn't black was a thin silver chain that glimmered in the low lighting—the necklace being a gift from Nixx one year for Christmas.

"So…you speak…along with looking good…ummm…" Nixx started to say, but got tongue-twisted easily.

Snake smiled as he placed a hand on Nixx's cheek and stroked it with his thumb. That got her to clam up completely and her mind went blank on what to do next. Instead, Snake did it for her when he leaned forward close enough to kiss her, but stopped mere inches from her lips.

"So…did I do a good job blending in with the crowd?" Snake asked with a smug look in his eyes.

It got Nixx to snap out of her reverie and glare at the now recent speaking man.

"You are cruel…and you're enjoying every sec—" Nixx said in a low tone before she was interrupted by Snake, who had chosen to brush his lips against Nixx's slightly.

Nixx had no idea how to react as Snake held the kiss for a few seconds before he pulled back. He smirked upon seeing a light blush on Nixx's cheeks.

"I…I, a…ummm…" the woman stuttered moments after the kiss.

"Want help?" Snake asked playfully.

Nixx had to take a moment to gather her thoughts…but it never happened when a round of cheers echoed from where Nixx left the others. Nixx turned to find Duke and the rest of the team cheering.

"Finally!!!!!!" Ripcord said as Snake wrapped an arm around Nixx's shoulder.

"You owe me two beers, Rip," Heavy Duty added.

"Hey Chloe? Can I ask you something?" Snake whispered in her ear.

Nixx nodded her head as Snake stepped in front of her. Nixx frowned slightly at what Snake was doing before Snake held up a small box in his hand. Nixx's eyes widen at the box as tears started to form. Snake had a genuine smile as he opened it to reveal…

"…Marry me?"**

* * *

****A/N**: So, what do you think? I had to add something that wasn't in my nature to do: leave you all in a cliff hanger. I'll let you decide how it ends. Don't forget to R+R. -JO-


End file.
